


Warmth, Worry, and White Day

by Lily Catts (Borjarnon)



Series: No Flower Ever Blooms Too Late [3]
Category: Original Work, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters, vtuber
Genre: Chat Participation, Established Relationship, F/F, Misunderstandings, White Day, Yuri, vtuber x mama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 13:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Borjarnon/pseuds/Lily%20Catts
Summary: An unexpected phone call threatens to ruin Misaki and Melody's White Day celebration. Could they work together to overcome it, or allow an irreconcilable rift to form between them?
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Series: No Flower Ever Blooms Too Late [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161617
Kudos: 5





	Warmth, Worry, and White Day

Midorikawa Misaki was fixing her hair when her phone rang. It was Melody's agency.

"Hello, this is Midorikawa."

"Good afternoon, Midorikawa-san," It was a woman's voice, her diction impeccable. "We are aware of your personal relationship with our talent, Kirishima-san. I would like to ask you to sever this relationship, as it could negatively impact Yuusha-jo-ou Breya's streaming activities."

"I'm not sure if I follow. How could my... relationship with Kirishima-san be of any concern to the agency?"

"It was a decision reached by top management. I am merely relaying our agency's position to you. If you refuse to comply..." she left the sentence hanging, forcing Misaki to fill in the blanks.

"Okay."

"We request that you limit your interaction with Kirishima-san to strictly professional matters only. Will you comply?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice a mere whisper.

After the call, Misaki threw herself facedown on her couch. Everything had been going well with Melody so far, so of course there had to be a catch. Did she really think she deserved this kind of happiness without any strings attached?

She was supposed to visit Melody today. They were supposed to cook, watch anime, play games, and do other things couples did, whatever they were. None of that seemed to matter anymore. All the anticipation had been sucked out of her very being.

Her hands shaking, she called her girlfriend.

"Hi Misaki! Are you on the way?" Melody's voice was like a kick to her ribs.

"Hi, Melody. I... I don't feel very well today. I think might have caught a cold. I'm really sorry, I know you're really looking forward to today and tomorrow." It was going to be White Day tomorrow, one whole month after Valentine's Day. It would have been what couples called a "monthsary", and she could very well never get to celebrate it with the person she loved.

"It's no big deal! Please rest up. I love you!"

"I love you too..."

Misaki stared at her phone's lockscreen even after the call had ended. Kirishima Melody's face was smiling back at her, in that impossibly cute outfit they had picked together last Valentine's Day. She summoned what remained of her willpower to crawl back to her bed, and stared at the ceiling until merciful sleep arrived.

* * *

Her dreams were fitful, yet there was nothing she could do but close her eyes again to weather them out. Misaki didn't want to do anything anymore. She had completely lost her will to fight. Melody's agency was a major player in the industry, and running afoul of them could effectively prevent her from working with other companies. She had just about enough savings to cover half a year of rent, and then it was back to the countryside with her family.

The next morning, Misaki chugged down a bottle of water, washed her face, and glared at her reflection in the mirror. She told herself that she would be brave, if not for her own sake then for Melody's. The only reason she was able to do her job was because her clients relied on her, and she would do everything to fulfill their expectations. She had done enough disappointing people in her previous line of work. Even if she had left all of that behind, the shadow of her failures still hovered over her psyche. Will she ever be free of such doubts? Probably never. But Melody had given her hope, and she would not give her a reason to be sad.

She changed into her favorite shirt and sweatpants combo, grabbed her keys and practically dashed out of her apartment for an impromptu run. Her apartment complex overlooked a medium-sized park, and going for a run was her tried-and-tested way to clear her head. Yuusha-jo-ou Breya always cited the importance of cardio for a happy life, after all.

Misaki let go of her doubts and fears, focusing on her form. She didn't put on any music, as it would just sway her mood towards unwanted feelings. Instead she formed a couple of questions in her head, letting them percolate as she moved her body.

_What do I really want in life? Should I choose to protect my career, or my relationship with Melody? Is continuing to date her a risk worth taking?_

As she ran along the side of the park, her apartment complex in view, she noticed a familiar figure walking towards her unit with a sense of purpose.

It was Kirishima Melody.

Misaki hid behind a tree, spying on her girlfriend. Melody rang the doorbell, knocked a few times, and messaged her. Misaki's phone vibrated in her pocket, yet she refused to pick it up. After a few messages and a missed call, Melody finally used her spare key to gain entry.

After a long minute, her phone vibrated. Of course Melody would be calling her, after finding her apartment deserted. Misaki debated whether to answer or not, and decided not to dig a deeper hole for herself. She took the call.

"Hi..." she said timidly.

"Misaki? Where are you? Aren't you sick?"

"Um, well... that was a lie. I'm sorry." She bowed reflexively, even if it was just a phone call. "I'm in the park right now, the one in front of my place."

Misaki saw her girlfriend emerge from the door, staring down at the park. She stepped away from the tree and waved nervously.

"I see you. I'm going down there. Let's talk." There was a firmness to her gentle voice.

"I can go back up."

"No, I think it's best to do this in a neutral place."

Oh no. Was she going to break up with her?

"Okay. Meet me at the entrance." A wave of dread passed through her entire body.

"Got it. Bye."

* * *

They sat on either end of the bench. Kirishima Melody did not speak, though Misaki sensed that her girlfriend was simmering quietly.

"So, are you going to explain yourself?" Melody said, choosing her words with care.

"Something came up," Misaki said. The gears in her head were turning. Should she tell her everything? Knowing Melody, she might go straight to her agency about this, and she might end up getting into further trouble.

"If it was a last-minute job, then you could've just told me," Melody said. She sounded hurt. "I know how hard you work. I would've understood. You didn't have to lie, you know?"

This wasn't working. If Misaki didn't open up, she would lose everything. Clenching her hands into fists, she exhaled.

"Your agency called me." She finally looked at Melody, who was looking back at her with soft expression on her face. Even in this situation, she was still unbelievably adorable. It was all she could do not to launch herself at her.

"Go on," Melody said, her tone softer, but Misaki wasn't out of the woods yet.

"They said they know about our relationship, they warned me to break it off, or face consequences."

Melody's face tightened, and she stared at the ground. She raised her hands, reconsidered, and placed them back on her lap.

"I'm sorry, Melody. I acted on my own, without talking to you first. I was just scared they'd punish us."

"It's not your fault, Misaki. Thank you for thinking about me. About us." She inched closer. "Did I scare you?"

"A bit, yeah."

"Did you think I was going to break up with you?"

Misaki hugged her sides. "It felt that way to me."

Melody was so close that she could smell her perfume. "Misaki-san... I'd appreciate a harsh truth more than a well-meaning lie. I may not look like it, but I'm a tough girl." She flexed her arm. "I can take it."

"It won't happen again, I promise," Misaki said. She felt Melody's hand take her fist, unraveling it gently. Her grip was firm and kind.

A soccer ball landed right by their feet, and a boy came running in their direction. Melody stood up, smiled, and kicked the ball back.

The kid trapped the ball with a practiced foot, bowed, and ran back to his friends. Misaki heard the joyful game resume in the distance.

Her stomach growled. Melody burst out laughing.

"Let's continue this at home? I thought you were really sick, so I planned to cook for you. Can I still do that?"

"Yes, please," Misaki said.

* * *

Since Melody insisted on cooking, Misaki waited like a good girl in the small dining table that could barely accommodate another person. The last time someone else had been in her place was when her brother helped her move in, and that was it. _I need a bigger place_ , she thought, but that would take some work. If she and Melody were to live together, they'd need separate soundproof rooms for their respective jobs.

She watched Melody cook a pot of mild curry. She even wore a hairnet for the task. Misaki remembered why she fell in love with this young woman, who was earnest to a fault, always seeing the best in other people. She had been foolish to even try protecting her without her knowledge or consent.

Melody's voice snapped her out of her haze. "Dinner's ready!"

They ate in silence. Misaki's run earlier had made her voracious, so she finished her meal first.

"How was it?" Melody asked. "Sorry, I know you like it spicy, but I can't really handle the stuff."

"This was the most delicious mild curry I've ever tasted," Misaki declared.

"Really? Are you just saying that because we're dating?"

"You dare doubt my words?" Misaki said in a wicked old witch's voice, with threatening hand gestures to match.

"If a certain someone had just told me straight what was going on, I wouldn't have trust issues. Kidding."

They laughed together for a good minute. All the stress and worry went out of Misaki's system.

"I've almost forgotten, but I got you something for White Day."

Melody's eyes perked up. "Really?"

Misaki stood up and walked to the refrigerator. She took out a red box. "It's just store-bought chocolates, because I couldn't think of anything else. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I love it! White chocolate for White Day!"

"Did you know... that white chocolate isn't really chocolate?" Misaki said, breaking into a sheepish smile as Misaki grabbed the box and started tearing into it. "I read it somewhere online."

"Chocolate or not, it tastes good," Melody said. "You want some?"

"I guess I'll—" Misaki was taken aback at her girlfriend's face, a piece of chocolate pinned between her lips. "I'm not doing that!"

"Aw come on, chuu~"

The older woman sank to her knees, overtaken by embarrassment. "No!"

"You're so cute," Melody said. "Here, get some." She took a piece from the box and handed it to Misaki, who took it.

Store-bought chocolate never tasted so good, Misaki thought. The sweetness was just right, and she could already feel her brain producing happy chemicals.

"I've decided," she said. "I don't want to run away anymore. I'm not giving you up, Melody."

Her girlfriend smiled. "That's all I ever wanted to hear."

Misaki bowed her head. "But I'm also scared beyond belief. Drawing is all I know, so if things go south and I lose my job and career, I'll have to start over elsewhere. I don't really have much in form of savings, so I might have to move back in with my parents if I don't get back up soon. That would make things difficult for us."

"It won't come to that. I have a plan," Melody said. Her voice did not waver, and it lent strength to Misaki's resolve.

When she finished explaining, Misaki shook her head.

"You can't put your own job on the line!"

"It's a great job, I know. But at the end of the day, it's just a job. I know what I'll choose."

Misaki sighed. "So the fate of Yuusha-jo-ou Breya rests in our hands now..."

"You should be more concerned of yourself!" Melody said. "But that's one of your charm points, always concerned about everything except yourself. I'm going to get ready for the stream. Can you help me set up?"

"Yes!"

* * *

Melody tweeted about a change in stream plans. Instead of her planned game stream, she was to make a surprise announcement instead, which got the fans talking. Thousands flocked to her stream waiting room.

With Misaki's help, Melody was able to setup her equipment, repurposing the artist's workspace.

"Ready?"

Misaki nodded, squeezing Melody's hand.

"Okay! Operation Dual Shock starts now!"

She began the stream. It started as the usual. Misaki's eyes were glued to her girlfriend, whose face had the image of professional calm. She had been to Melody's place, but had never seen her stream in person. There was a reason why Yuusha-jo-ou Breya was one of the top vtubers in the world.

"So the announcement. Well, it's not really anything super big, like new merch or an anime. Sorry if you were expecting those! But it's very dear to my heart, so I'm about to get real with all of you.

"If you've been tuning to my streams for any length of time, you should probably know how much I admire and respect my mama, Greenriver-san. To tell you the truth, she was the one I had dinner with last Christmas Eve. You know that feeling when you meet someone in the flesh after knowing them online, and they turned out to be every bit as awesome as you expected, and more? I was completely star-struck!

"Remember when I said I went out with a friend last Valentine's? I went with Greenriver-san. And on that day... we started seeing each other!"

The chat exploded in activity.

> \- Yessssss!!
> 
> \- So the cat's out of the bag, huh?
> 
> \- WE KNOW
> 
> \- I've had my doubts, but you would always perk up when talking about her.
> 
> \- Wait, what do you call each other? Isn't this in—

"I know how weird it sounds. A vtuber and her mama, dating? What the hell is that, even? But that's how it goes. We're both consenting adults, so it should be okay, right?

> \- You don't have to make excuses about who you choose to date. I'm here to support you either way!
> 
> \- Vtubers are people, and people have private lives. You do you.
> 
> \- Honestly, I think it's cool that a vtuber has publicly admitted their relationship on stream.

"But there are some people who aren't happy with our relationship, so I'd just like to make it clear. I'm free to love who I want, and as Yuusha-jo-ou Breya I would be betraying my very ideals if I backed down. I truly believe that this love is worth fighting for, so if you disapprove, then get ready to face my blade!"

Misaki squeezed Melody's hand again. Supportive messages from the chat came in by the dozens.

> \- So what should we call you? YuuGreen or GreenYuu?
> 
> \- I think YuuGreen works.
> 
> \- GreenYuu sounds like a Grass-type evolution, lol
> 
> \- Breya's so inspiring ngl

"In fact, I'm right beside Greenriver-san! I'm even holding her hand right now, and it's it's the best feeling in the world!"

Greenriver's vtuber model appeared beside Yuusha-jo-ou Breya. Misaki had created it to learn Live2D rigging, and found herself opening commissions shortly after its success. "Hi, Boukenstans. It's me, Greenriver."

> \- Whoa! She's here, too?!
> 
> \- Holding hands? How lewd!
> 
> \- Man, I wish that was me...

"You heard Breya-san, it's real. When she confessed to me, I was really taken aback. I don't really see myself as worthy of love and affection, so I didn't know how to react. If you know me personally, I'm more of a wallflower-type character, and I'm okay with that. Dealing with people is hard, so I prefer not to be bothered in the first place. Until Breya-san befriended me."

"Honestly? She's such a handful. She really tried to break me out of my shell. And I'd like to think that she succeeded. Like many of you, Breya did give me courage. Because of her I dare to be a human being, to realize myself as a person.

"I've been advised to break up with her, because it might cause a lot of people trouble, but... I'm sorry. I'm not letting go of Breya either!"

"I'm very glad you chose me, dear," Melody said.

> \- DEAR????
> 
> \- Holy shit she called her "dear"

"You just killed my chat dead, Greenriver-san!"

"How is that my responsibility?" Misaki said.

"Anyway! We ask you to please support our relationship," Melody said. "It's not like anything would change in my streaming activities. I'm not scaling back on my work. I'm ramping it up, actually! I've never felt so inspired and energized before, so Yuusha-jo-ou Breya will continue to scale new heights as the Queen of Braves!"

They spent the rest of the stream answering questions from chat. It became Breya's most viewed stream yet, and YuuGreen even trended worldwide on Twitter.

When they finished, Melody turned to Misaki and winked. "We did it!"

"We did," Misaki replied, exhausted from their efforts. She had a newfound admiration for her girlfriend, who could stream for hours on end.

"It's pretty late, can I spend the night here? Sorry if we ran longer than expected."

"Of course," Misaki said. "And it was my fault our initial plans didn't work out."

Melody flicked Misaki's forehead.

"Ow!"

"No more apologies! It all worked out in the end, didn't it? I know my fans, and I know they'll keep supporting us."

 _Us._ That sounded good to hear.

"Misaki? Are you okay?"

The artist shook her head. "I'm going to do something I should've done a long time ago."

"Eh?"

Misaki pulled her girlfriend into her arms. "You're the best thing that happened to me, Melody."

She pressed her lips into Melody's own. Time grinded to a halt, leaving her a memory she would treasure to the end of her days.

"More..."

"Really?"

Melody looked away. She was red as an apple. "Yeah..."

"We have the rest of the night," Misaki said, leaning in again.

* * *

Due to the stunt they pulled, Misaki and Melody were summoned to the agency's headquarters. They knew it was serious, as the agency mostly communicated remotely. Even as one of their top talents, Misaki had only visited twice before: first for the final interview, and second for the contract signing.

"Thank you for waiting," said a stern-looking woman. Misaki recognized her voice as the one who spoke to her in a call.

"That's YuuMa," Melody whispered. YuuMa was everyone's nickname for Breya's manager, and given Breya's content, her work was a handful.

 _Oh no, she's hot,_ Misaki thought. Being with Melody made her become more honest with her thoughts. _Girls really are the best._

"Um, we have an idea why we got called here," Melody said. "Are we fired?"

YuuMa shook her head.

"I asked the two of you to come here so I could personally apologize. I was the one who warned Midorikawa-san because upper management thought her relationship with Kirishima-san would jeopardize Breya's streaming activities. While there is no company policy with regards to talent having romantic relationships, we thought to exercise discretion... but we were wrong."

"Hmph!" Melody said, visibly gloating. "I don't know what made the higher-ups decide that, YuuMa. If anything, I was the unprofessional one because I pulled strings to arrange our offline meeting. All I wanted was to be friends with her!"

YuuMa's shoulders dropped, and she promptly sank into the opposite couch. "So you didn't plan on falling in love with Midorikawa-san?"

"Nope! It just happened."

YuuMa sighed. Her voice changed, as if she had flipped a switch. "I need a girlfriend, too. Or a boyfriend. I don't care anymore. This job's going to be the end of me."

"Didn't you meet someone cute in that last mixer?" Melody said. It seemed that they had a friendly relationship, after all.

"They ghosted me!"

"I think the three of us should go drinking soon," Melody said.

"And be your third wheel? Not gonna happen. Anyway! My personal business aside, I have another matter that I'd like to discuss."

"Oh? What is it?"

YuuMa turned to Misaki, her professional demeanor back in action. "Would you like to become a vtuber, Midorikawa Misaki-san?"

Misaki smiled. Melody's hand felt warm in her own, supplying her with an infinite amount of love and courage.

"Can I do it part-time?"

**Author's Note:**

> And it's done! (For now.) If you've reached this, thank you for reading! This series means a lot to me, and it personally took a lot to write it. I'll keep looking for ways to improve, but I'd like to focus on some of my ongoing works for the time being.


End file.
